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About Manihot esculenta

Cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz) is grown throughout tropical Africa, Asia and the Americas for its starchy storage roots, and feeds an estimated 750 million people each day. Farmers choose it for its high productivity and its ability to withstand a variety of environmental conditions (including significant water stress) in which other crops fail. However, it has low protein content, and is susceptible to a range of biotic stresses. Despite these problems, the crop production potential for cassava is enormous, and its capacity to grow in a variety of environmental conditions makes it a plant of the future for emerging tropical nations. Cassava is also an excellent energy source - its roots contain 20-40% starch that costs 15-30% less to produce per hectare than starch from corn, making it an attractive and strategic source of renewable energy [2].